Daily Number

2

June 22, 2016

The latest Kid’s Count report, produced each year by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, ranked New Jersey second in the nation when it comes to education. The survey, which has ranked New Jersey second since its inception, looks at issues such as early childhood education, school age, young adults, and test scores.

Overall, the state ranked seventh for child wellbeing, behind Minnesota, Massachusetts, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

When it comes to economic wellbeing, a category New Jersey fared worst in, the state fell to 20th place. One in four children lives in a family that has no member of the household with full-time, year-round employment. What’s more, 16 percent of children live in poverty. The study tracked New Jersey conditions in 2013 through 2014, when the economy was still poor in the Garden State.

There were other bright spots, however. The teen birth rate dropped 46 percent between 2008 and 2014. Drug and alcohol abuse also dropped 29 percent.